UPSC prelims results are out.

If your score is as per your prediction and wish, keep up with the next steps.

If it is not the case; stay around people, visit your hometown for a few days. Take a break tonight from any planning, strategising... Stay hydrated and keep deep breathing.

Regards,
Sonali 🌻

Which technique would you like to explore this week? These may sound simple but difficult to bring them in practice.

A relaxed nervous system can enhance your study skills.

#cognition

One of the ways to balance your nervous system!

Hello everyone,
I know some of you are finding it hard to get back into study mode, so let’s go back to the basics:

1. Get moving:
Yes, Delhi is super hot right now, but try to move a little every day. Go for a walk, stretch in your room, or catch up with a friend at the park. Any movement helps your mind feel fresh.

2. Clean up your space:
Organize your notes, clear your table, and tidy up your room. You can even put up some new posters or charts to make your study space more fun and motivating.

3. Start small:
Set tiny study goals. Once you stick to them for 3–4 days, slowly increase the target. Build up bit by bit—you’ve got this.

🌻🌻

#restart

In continuation of how to get back to study mode:

4. Health checkup:
Check your vitals like vitamin D, B12. Consult a Dr for vitamin supplements. They have a huge impact on our cognitive skills (thinking, memory, etc)

5. Keep your family in loop: Although isolation may seem more comfortable, keep socializing with friends and family.

6. Breathing techniques: Choose any one breathing technique that you will follow every day.

All the best!

Register for FREE Workshop | Concentration and Memory techniques

Join us for an exclusive session on Concentration & Memory Techniques with Ms. Miti Sheth (MA Counselling Psychology). Learn practical tools to improve focus, enhance retention, and study smarter for UPSC and beyond!

📅 Date: 19th July, Saturday 🕜 Time: 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM 📍 Mode: Offline at LevelUp IAS

✅ Open to all aspirants | FREE Registration | Fill out the form below to confirm your spot!

https://forms.gle/Q76Vz8b4iGhg2prD6

Which zone are you in?

How do you move yourself from one zone to Performance zone?

This is tomorrow! Register and attend the workshop to boost your concentration and memory skills.

#workshop

Let us now discuss how to return from each zone to the performance zone:

1. Survival zone to Performance zone

Survival Zone (High Energy, Negative Emotion):
You feel anxious, angry, or overwhelmed. This often comes when facing setback, exam fear, or feeling judged.

💡 If You're in the Survival Zone (anxious, restless, angry):
Pause & Breathe:
→ Use the 4-7-8 breathing technique. (Inhale 4 sec, hold 7 sec, exhale 8 sec)
→ Calms the nervous system and reduces mental overload.

Prioritize:
→ Don’t look at the entire syllabus at once. List 3 things for the day. Finish them well.

Offload Emotion Safely:
→ Journaling or voice notes to yourself help acknowledge frustration without bottling it.

Don’t Isolate:
→ Talk to one friend or a mentor. Expression defuses emotion.

#mentalwellbeing #performance

2. Burnout zone to Performance zone

Burnout Zone (Low Energy, Negative Emotion):
You're drained, sad, or emotionally numb. Often due to prolonged stress without rest.

🪫 If You're in the Burnout Zone (tired, sad, demotivated):

Full Reset:
→ Take a full 24-hour break. No guilt. No syllabus. Just sleep, eat, and walk.

Micro Goals:
→ Restart with 30-min blocks of study with 5-min active breaks.

Sleep Hygiene:
→ Sleep before 12 AM. Avoid screens 30 mins before bed.

Nutrition:
→ Eat high-energy, low-junk meals. Hydrate. These small tweaks can lift energy levels fast.

#mentalwellbeing #performance

We often think studying is a passive activity. This article is a good reminder for us to understand Mental Fatigue in detail:

🧠 Even if you haven’t studied much, your brain can still feel tired—this is called cognitive fatigue. It makes you choose easy tasks (like scrolling or re-reading notes) over real preparation.

🧐 A study shows this kind of tiredness affects not only focus but also decision-making.

🔄 To reset your brain: take short, intentional breaks — walk, breathe, stretch, not just switch screens.

💪 Fight the “easy way out” mindset—train your mind to stay on track, especially when it resists.

#mentalfatigue #relaxation

3. Recovery Zone (Low Energy, Positive Emotion):
You feel calm, peaceful, at ease. Essential after intense prep days.

🛀 If You're in the Recovery Zone (calm, unproductive):
Channel the Calm Into Planning:
→ Set your study priorities while you're emotionally neutral.

Create a Reward System:
→ Link effort with small rewards (like chai break after 90 mins of study).

Visualize Success:
→ Spend 2 minutes imagining yourself writing prelims confidently. Trains your brain for performance.

#performance

🧠 Brain at 11 PM: "Let’s worry about everything — the exam, the future, your childhood nickname…"
Me: “Can we at least finish this polity chapter first?”
Mental health tip: Schedule your worries like study slots. Brain respects deadlines sometimes 😅

From today, we will cover some aspects of Mindfulness.

Mindfulness ≠ Meditation

Mindfulness is not always about closing your eyes and chanting.
It’s about being fully present in whatever you do — reading a paragraph, solving a question, or even eating a roti.

Try this today:

1. 👉 Next time you sit to study, take 3 deep breaths, notice your surroundings, and tell yourself — “I’m here, now.”

That’s it. You’ve already begun.

#mindfulness

Let us add some practices of mindfulness in our daily routine.

2. One Mindful Meal

🥣 Today, choose one meal to eat without your phone, book, or thoughts of tomorrow.

Just chew. Just notice. Just be.
Mindfulness begins with little pockets of presence. Even one mindful meal a day helps reduce mental fatigue.

#mindfulness@rebtwithsonali

3. Come Back to the Chair

🪑 Your mind will wander. A hundred times. That’s normal.
But every time you bring it back—to the breath, to the book—you’re strengthening your focus muscle.
It’s not about perfect concentration. It’s about coming back. Again and again.

#mindfulness